Storm-hit Dawlish railway reopens

THE DAWLISH railway line has re-opened after a £35m project to repair the damage wreaked by storms two months ago.

The Dawlish railway line reopened today, two months after it was devastated by a violent storm[APEX/SWNS]

David Cameron hailed the resurrection of the line, which became a symbol of the devastation caused by this winter's bad weather, as "a great day".

And he paid tribute to the 'orange army' who had worked around the clock to reopen the track.

The line, linking Exeter St Davids with Newton Abbot, Plymouth and Penzance, was damaged on February 4 after the sea wall was breached and part of the track was swept away.

A 300-strong team of Network Rail workers started repairing the line, but another storm on Valentine's Day hampered their efforts and damaged the 10-tonne shipping containers forming a temporary sea wall.

There were further problems on March 4 when engineers discovered that a large peroration of the cliff face near Teignmouth just south of Dawlish had sheared away above the railway.

Around 25,000 tonnes of collapsed cliff had to be removed before work could continue.

But Network Rail teams worked around the clock to bring the reopening date forward by two weeks, enabling the line to be ready in time for the Easter holidays.

Workers used 6,000 tonnes of concrete, 150 tonnes of steel to rebuild the line.

The closure of the line and storm damage is estimated to have cost Devon alone £31m in lost business, with bookings in the run-up to Easter down around 23 per cent.

Mr Cameron said: "The south west is open for business, it's open for tourism and it's open for trade."

David Cameron was among the first passengers to enjoy a ride on the newly-repaired track [SWNS]

The line was damaged after strong waves breached the sea wall [SWNS]

He added: "I want to say an enormous thank you to the people who have carried out this vital work. it's been a Herculean effort over 56 days and 56 nights. It's been a huge task.

"This is a great day for the hard-working people of Dawlish, and for businesses and commuters across the South West whose lives have been turned upside down by the devastating loss of their train line.

"Back in February when I visited the town to see the damage for myself, I promised to do everything I could to get this vital artery back up and running as quickly as possible.

"I am delighted to say that promise has been delivered today.

"The impact of the extreme weather shows the importance of making our railways strong enough to weather any storm.

"That is why we announced a £31 million package of improvements and asked NR to examine every option to ensure the resilience of this route, all part of our long-term economic plan to boost business and create more jobs in the region."

She said: "I go to visit my family in London or the North and, because I am disabled, I have assistance here.

"The repairs have been absolutely wonderful. It was a huge job but Network Rail are very efficient and I'm not surprised they were ahead of schedule.

"Meeting David Cameron was lovely. It is great he came here and I don't care what anyone says - I love him.

"The trains are our lifeline here. We simply can't do without them."

NR chief executive Mark Carne said: "Our army of engineers has done an amazing job of putting back together a railway that was ravaged by the elements.

"They have overcome every obstacle thrown at them, winning many battles along the way to restore this critical piece of the network, ahead of schedule, and in time for the Easter holidays."

Repairs were delayed as further storms battered the line [APEX]

Teams worked around the clock to repair the railway ahead of schedule [PA]

The amount of concrete that's gone in there, that will be there for at least 200 years, beyond a shadow of a doubt

Contractor Andy Crowley

He went on: "The biggest thanks must be reserved for passengers and local communities and businesses who have been hugely supportive and patient over the past two months as we worked flat-out to rebuild this vital rail link.

"Our focus now moves to the medium and long-term, looking at what can be done at Dawlish to make the current coastal route more resilient and, by the autumn, understand what the best viable relief route might be."

Contractors created new 11.5ft deep concrete foundations into the breach in the sea wall before the track was re-laid.

Andy Crowley, from contractor Amco, said: "The amount of concrete that's gone in there, that will be there for at least 200 years, beyond a shadow of a doubt."

Cornwall Council Leader John Pollard said: "It is excellent news that the rail line has re-opened much earlier than originally predicted and I would like to pay tribute to the hard work of Network Rail in achieving this.

"Over the past two months everyone has worked together to keep Cornwall connected, with staff from First Great Western and Cross Country Trains ensuring that transport services were maintained while the rain line was shut.

"Now the line has re-opened we will be working with First Great Western to promote travelling to Cornwall by train.

"Cornwall Council is committed to supporting rail travel and we will now be working with our MPs and other partners to ensure that the Government invests in long term solutions to ensure that there is a sustainable rail link to and from Cornwall.

"It is not acceptable for the main rail link to be shut for long periods of time and we look forward to seeing this commitment from the Government."

Carolyn Custerson of Visit Devon said she was "delighted" the line had re-opened.

The opening of the Dawlish line comes as the those living in the flood-hit Somerset Levels also began to put their lives back together after the waters receded.

Dredgers clearing the area found eight abandoned vehicles in a river - some of them up to 20 years old.

Officials said that the cars had not contributed to the recent flooding